How Could You?
by darkchocolate
Summary: Jess fic, lotsa drama...still pg13
1. The end to what was not meant to be

How could you?  
  
  
  
'Jess…Why is he always on my mind? I thought that I loved Dean. He's my boyfriend. He's sweet, funny, caring….and Jess! He's the complete opposite. He smokes and he's rebellious…everything I was against. But I know he's not like that… there's a softhearted person beneath all that…right? Why am I defending him? Because I know he's the one for me…Dean is perfect, but you're not happy with him. You've grown apart. No!!! That's not true. Dean loves me and I love him. I said so. Right?' Rory was fighting with herself. She knew she couldn't hide the fact that Jess was of interest to her. But she couldn't break it to Dean. It would hurt him too much. But, she knew that lying to Dean, and continuing the relationship would be useless if her heart wasn't in it.  
  
It was Friday and she had just finished school. They were nearing Stars Hollow. With all the assignments and quizzes taking over her mind at school, it was easy to forget her problems. But the moment school ended they haunted her constantly. She was still clearing her thoughts when the bus pulled over in Stars Hollow. She got off the bus and started walking.  
  
"Rory! Um…can I talk to you for a minute? I have something important to tell you." Dean called from behind her. Rory turned around. She was busy thinking and being guilty for forsaking Dean that she forgot he always waited for her after school.  
  
"Uh, sure." Rory walked beside him and found a bench to talk.  
  
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Rory was getting nervous. But Dean didn't seem to notice. He was busy trying to concentrate on telling her his decision.  
  
"Listen, Rory. I think I owe you an apology. I should have told you earlier. Just let me finish before you start talking. It'll make this easier. I thought I loved you. You are smart, funny and you're, well, basically, perfect. Any guy would die to be with a girl like you. But, I think we just weren't meant to be. When I'm with you, I don't have that feeling anymore. I think you've felt it, too. We can't deny it anymore. We're drifting apart. I think we should just make it easier for the both of us and just break up." Dean said. He was really nervous and he didn't want to make her mad or sad. But he couldn't hide his feelings. He just didn't feel it.  
  
"Dean, I think deep inside I knew it would happen. All those times we had fun together have become a distant past. I think you're right. I'm just sad that we had to end this way after all we're been through. Let's just be friends." Rory felt a weird feeling. Not a heartbreak feeling, but a sad feeling. She was sad that she couldn't make things work. But another feeling also arose. She felt a relief.  
  
"I'm really sorry. But we'll always be friends. Um, I have to go. See you around, Rory. Oh, and can you tell Luke not to headlock me this time? Thanks." With that, he just got up and left.  
  
"Bye…"  
  
This is just the beginning. I'm too tired to write anymore. I know it's short, but there will be more on the way. Please R&R. I was just thinking of an ending for Rory and Dean's relationship to add Jess in. Please give some ideas. Thanks. 


	2. Cherries and Chocolate Chip

" I can't believe Dean would do that. Don't be upset. He's not worth it, sweetie." Lorelei said after she heard what happened.  
  
"Don't worry, mom. I think I was going to break up with him anyway. It's just weird since we've always been so close and inseparable. Yet, I think we were meant to be just friends. I think he was right. I didn't feel it anymore." Rory said.  
  
"Oh. But I thought you loved him. There's no third person right?" Lorelei suggested. She was growing suspicious of her daughter. She hoped Jess wouldn't have to do with it.  
  
"I don't think there's a third person." Rory said.  
  
"What do you mean 'you think'? There either is or isn't." Lorelei said.  
  
"You'll have to ask Dean. I don't think he would cheat on me though. He doesn't seem the type." Rory said simply. She didn't know Lorelei was referring to her.  
  
"Ok then. How about we call in some pizza and go buy some ice cream? I heard Ben and Jerry's has a new flavor." Lorelei said, trying to pass the subject up.  
  
"Sure. I'll get my coat. Promise you won't mix the cherries in with the chocolate chip this time. It tasted awful. I has to buy three cups of coffee to get the taste out of my system." Rory got up and put on her coat.  
  
"Wait. You were the one who suggested we mix fruits into our ice cream. And, I think it tasted like cold chicken. My favorite left over." Lorelei defended. She was so glad to see Rory functioning properly.  
  
"I meant peaches and vanilla ice cream or something like that. Not cherries! And honestly, ice cream that tastes like chicken is on my top 5 list of the most disgusting things to eat."  
  
"What's first?"  
  
"Carrots on my pizza"  
  
"Eww…how'd that happen?"  
  
"Sookie made me think it was a squashed tomato."  
  
"Wow…better watch what I eat from now on. Wait. I wonder what that green thing in my clam chowder was. Ugh. Never mind. Let's not guess."  
  
Rory and Lorelei walked in to Doose's market. They bought the newest flavor from Ben and Jerry's and left.  
  
"Let's stop at Luke's to stock up on coffee. OoOo! Then we can watch some movies." Rory suggested.  
  
"Yeah sure." Lorelei glanced at her daughter. She was all smiles and she was really happy that she made the right decision. Rory looked at her mom and stopped.  
  
"Why are you staring at me? Is there a booger on my nose?"  
  
"No…I'm just checking to make sure you're okay."  
  
"Mom, I'm fine. I'm serious. Let's just get some coffee and movies. I can't remember the last time we watched Willy Wonka alone."  
  
"You're right. Dean was always over, but he always fell asleep half way. Whimp!"  
  
The two continued to talk until they reached Luke's. It was still open. They walked inside and took a seat. Luke came over to serve them.  
  
"What'll it be?"  
  
"Just 8 coffees to go. We have to last all night."  
  
"No way am I going to let you take home 8 cups of coffee."  
  
"Not this again, Luke! Fine…seven and a half."  
  
"Four."  
  
"Seven."  
  
"Five."  
  
"Six and a half."  
  
"Fine. It's a deal." With that, he left them alone. Just then, Jess came downstairs. He looked like he just woke up. He noticed Rory and her mom and pulled a chair over to their table.  
  
"So, what's up?" Jess said.  
  
"Nothing much. Girl's night out." Lorelei said.  
  
"Oh. Okay then."  
  
"Oh, and this morning me and Dean split. I think that's about it. Oh! And I got an A+ on my calculus quiz." Rory said. She acted as if her breakup was nothing. In fact, that was the truth. It meant nothing anymore.  
  
"Whoa. You and Dean broke up? I thought I'd never live to see the day. You guys were like Fred and Wilma. So, how you feeling?" Jess asked.  
  
"Fine. I was bored with the relationship, too. It's no big deal." Rory said.  
  
"HE DUMPED YOU?!" Luke practically shouted. He was eavesdropping in the conversation.  
  
"Luke, it's not like that. We BOTH agreed on it." Rory said.  
  
"Besides, she's old enough to make her own decisions." Lorelei said.  
  
"And you're not her dad or anything. Why are you so upset?" Jess said. Everyone turned and stared at him.  
  
"What? I thought we were all ganging up on him." Jess said and shrugged.  
  
"Anyway, just don't beat him up or anything. We both decided on this and I think it was for the best." Rory said.  
  
"Fine, but he better not hurt you. Here are you're six and a half cups of coffee to go."  
  
"Thanks. Bye Luke, Jess." Rory and Lorelei said as they walked out the door. Jess watched them leave and then turned to Luke.  
  
"Get back to work, boy. We're not paying you to sit around." Luke said throwing Jess a rag.  
  
  
  
I know this kinda sucks, but I tried. Please keep giving suggestions. Thanks. 


	3. Apple and Chocolate Chip

A.N: Thanks for all the support y'all! I'm sorry to say that Lorelei has to continue to dislike Jess for the time being. I've discovered a great plot line that will make up for it, I promise!  
  
After a whole night of Willy Wonka, ice cream, coffee, laughter, and some mother/daughter fun, Rory and Lorelei managed to finally fall asleep on the couch. Around 8 p.m., Rory woke up.  
  
Groan.  
  
"Mmmm…Mom, time to wake up…you have to get to work and I have to go to…SCHOOL!" She immediately perked up. She looked at the clock.  
  
"AHHHH! Mom! Wake up! School! Work!! Late!! AH!" Rory was frantically shaking Lorelei's shoulders.  
  
"What? Huh? Fire?" Lorelei squinted at the sunlight.  
  
"No! School! I'm late! Ugh! (pause) …wait…It's Saturday. Damn. Sorry mom." Rory tried her best please-don't-kill-me looks. It didn't work.  
  
"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU WOKE ME UP AT…(glances at clock) 8 O'CLOCK ON A SATURDAY?" Lorelei widened her eyes as large as possible, until they watered.  
  
"Ow…Oh well that's okay. Let's get dressed and go to Luke's for some pancakes." Lorelei said as she rubbed her eyes.  
  
"Okie-dokie! And again I'm really sorry. I'll make it up to you by taking you shopping the whole day today. Deal?" Rory suggested.  
  
"Sorry, hun. Can't. I promised Sookie to help her search for wedding decorations."  
  
"Oh, that's okay. I'll just hang around town and go to the book store or something." Rory tried not to look so disappointed.  
  
"Here, I promise to buy some gummy bears on my way home and we can make GummyLand again. Except this time, we'll keep their heads on. Promise. Scouts Honor. Agreed?"  
  
"Yeah, sure. But I get dibs on the red and yellow ones. Can you also buy some Sour Patch Kids, too? Then we can make a whole universe, along with some gummy worms and chocolate bunnies." Rory was ecstatic for something to do. She seemed to have so much time on her hands when she wasn't spending it with Dean.  
  
"I'll see what there is. But I get to eat the chocolate bunnies who are naughty, okay?" Lorelei went to her bedroom and got dressed and so did Rory. Then they headed out to Luke's.  
  
"Morning Luke sweetie." Lorelei tried. Then she batted her lashes and gave him a beautiful, overly happy smile. Then she winked at him and blew him kiss. No one was staring because they knew the "coffee routine".  
  
"No." Luke continued to pour coffee for one of the customers and didn't bother to look up. Immediately, Lorelei let out a sigh and crossed her arms against her chest.  
  
"Ok, Luke. What is it going to take for you to get me some coffee?" Lorelei said sternly, slightly squinting her eyes to make her look angry. Luke sighed, still holding his coffeepot.  
  
"Look. Coffee is just going to damage your body. But here's the deal. Promise me this is your only cup until noon, and it's yours." Luke poured out the delicious, steamy cup of magical elixir and placed it in front of Lorelei. Lorelei kept squint-staring at Luke, hoping he would change his mind. But then, Luke just squint-stared back at her. They were now both leaning on the counter, squint-staring at each other, like in a cowboy movie. Finally, after about a minute, Lorelei broke free of the stare and let out a big, disappointing sigh.  
  
"Err….No fair. Err… Fine. It's a deal. But only if that only applies to this diner." Lorelei said. And before Luke could say anything. She drank her source of life and held out her cup for him to take away.  
  
"Now, I'd like two pancakes with blueberries and a big fat muffin. And you, Rory?" Lorelei asked, without letting Luke talk. Rory looked up from her book. All that time Lorelei and Luke had been attacking each other with their eyes, she had gotten bored and decided to read her new book.  
  
"Huh? Oh…umm… I think I'm going to have the same except I want a big chocolate chip cookie instead of the muffin." Rory said.  
  
"Fine." Luke said in a defeated voice. When Luke walked into the kitchen, Jess went downstairs. Rory noticed him coming and closed her book.  
  
"Hey, Jess. Why so late?"  
  
"Hey. I think my alarm clock broke. Oh, well. Hey Lorelei." Jess turned to Lorelei, secretly hoping to earn points.  
  
"Hey, Jess." She looked away and then looked at Rory. Then she quickly added "We have an extra alarm clock if you want to borrow it."  
  
"Uh...Thanks, but I think I'm okay. Did you guys order yet?"  
  
"Yup. Why don't you join us? Oh, is that okay with you, Mom?" Rory suggested.  
  
"Yeah, sure." Lorelei pulled the seat next to her out. It was closer to Lorelei than it was to Rory.  
  
"Thanks." Jess took the chair but, without even noticing himself, he pushed his seat closer to Rory. No one noticed this, but Lorelei. She was a bit peeved, but she knew she was over reacting. Just then, Luke came out with Rory and Lorelei's order. When he saw Jess, he went behind the counter, reached for an apple and tossed it to him.  
  
"Why do I get the sucky breakfast? And, I'm definitely not on a diet. I'll get some pancakes myself." Jess got up and left the apple on the table. He walked to the kitchen and returned shortly with a three pancakes smothered in maple syrup.  
  
"I'm taking that off your salary." Luke said, without even caring.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
The breakfast was great, for Jess and Rory. They were talking about literature the whole time, leaving Lorelei completely out of the conversation. Lorelei just watched quietly. She was pretty peeved that Jess was already trying to take over and change her daughter. Her baby. Jess didn't exactly have the best rep, and she didn't want to believe that he would change. Deep inside, she knew she didn't want Rory to turn into her. Pregnant at the age of 16. Even though she practically hated Jess as a bad influence on Rory, Lorelei knew that Jess wasn't that bad. Rory would never even consider to be friends with the "bad guys". She just didn't want history to repeat itself.  
  
"I'm going to go to pick up Sookie, okay? I'll be back with the universe at about 5 p.m. I'll bring some Chinese food, too." Lorelei said as she finished her last bit of pancake.  
  
"Universe?" Jess questioned with a weird look.  
  
"Long story. Gilmore secret. Umm...sure." Rory said.  
  
"Okay, kids. Have fun and don't get into trouble. Wow. I sound like one of those traditional moms. I blame 7th Heaven. Well, bye." Lorelei got up and went to the cashier. She paid for the breakfast and then left. (A.N. I actually like 7th Heaven, I'm just trying to make Lorelei sound like Lorelei. Sorry, 7th Heaven fans.)  
  
"Um…got to get to work or I won't have a salary for Luke to reduce. Maybe we can get together for some lunch later." Jess said, getting up from his seat.  
  
"Sure, sounds great. I have to check out some books anyway. See you later, Jess. Oh, and I'm going to take your apple. Bye Luke." She walked of the diner and headed for the bookstore. As soon as she left, Jess grabbed the broom.  
  
"Don't do anything stupid. She's a good girl." Luke said. He could see Jess changing before his eyes. He was much more responsible and considerate when he was around Rory. Luke noticed.  
  
"Whatever." That was the only response Luke got. 


	4. Follow The Leader, Birdies

After a few hour of searching in the "New Best Sellers" section, Rory finally picked out a few interesting books. She paid, and went home to drop them off. When she added her new books to the already huge collection, she had a happy kinda feeling. New books always made her happy. It made her forget about everything and focus on the new story line. She looked at her watch. 12:15p.m. She was late for her lunch with Jess. She ran to Luke's diner and opened the door.  
  
"Hey. I'm getting off in a minute. Let's order our lunches and eat out." Jess said as he handed an elderly woman her lunch.  
  
"Sure. You need some help? I'm not doing anything." Rory suggested.  
  
"No. That's ok. Just choose something to eat. I'm going to tell Luke." He went into the kitchen. When he came out, Rory had decided on her lunch. Jess went to the kitchen and got the lunch and placed it in a paper bag.  
  
"Okay, we can go." Jess opened the door for Rory.  
  
"So where to?"  
  
"How about that park in Hartford?" Jess suggested.  
  
"Sure. You're car or mine? Oh wait. I should probably return it to Dean." Rory looked down. Everything that had happened yesterday hit her. She didn't seem upset nor did she want to get back together. She just felt like Dean had become a part of her daily routine. Without him, she was so lonely. No companion. And Lane was busy with her own problems. She was all alone. Then she looked up, remembering Jess. He looked at her. He knew she was feeling crappy, he understood what she was going through.  
  
"Umm…let's take my car." He wanted to make her feel more comfortable.  
  
"Sure." They drove off into Hartford. The ride there was full of laughter and gossip about Stars Hollow. Jess was happy to see Rory laughing. He hated to see her unhappy. If she had stayed with Dean, yet she was happy, he wouldn't have minded. But she was happy with him. Even just as a friend, he felt obliged. Rory felt so carefree with Jess. He was so funny and smart. She felt sorry for all the people who just couldn't see it in him. She also loosened up and forgot about Dean. They finally arrived at the park and found a perfect tree to sit under.  
  
"This breeze feels so good…I can't wait until summer." Rory said as she took a bite of her cheeseburger.  
  
"Yeah. Hey, Rory. Can I ask you a question?" Jess looked at Rory.  
  
"Sure. What is it?"  
  
"Well, when everyone in town hates me, how come you're still on my side?" Jess didn't want to sound retarded, but he wanted to know.  
  
"The whole town doesn't see what I can see, and it's their loss. To them, you're that punk who steals harmless lawn ornaments. To me, you're just a friend who understands and looks out for me. You're a great guy, Jess. You just got to prove it to the people out there." Rory encouraged.  
  
"Thanks." Jess and Rory continued to eat. When they got full, they fed the leftovers to the hungry gulls.  
  
"You know that'll kill them, right?" Rory said as Jess threw bit-sized pieces at the crowd of birds.  
  
"At least they'll die nice and full." Jess looked at Rory. She smiled back.  
  
"Come on. Let's go back before Luke starts throwing a hissy fit." Jess said.  
  
"Let's go." They walked side by side. Behind them trailed a crowd of gulls.  
  
  
  
Sorry so short. I'm getting lazier and lazier. Don't worry I'll blow you guys up with the plot. 


End file.
